The Swish of the Curtain (Blue Door #1)

The classic story of seven children with a longing to be on stage: the inspiration for actors from Maggie Smith to Eileen Atkins

In the town of Fenchester, seven resourceful children are yearning to be famous. One day, they come across a disused chapel, and an idea is formed. With a lick of paint and the addition of a beautiful curtain (which, however much they try, won't "swish" as stage curtains ought), the chapel becomes a theatre - and The Blue Door Theatre Company is formed.

The children go from strength to strength, writing, directing and acting in their own plays. But their schooldays are numbered, and their parents want them to pack it in and train for sensible jobs. It seems that The Blue Door Theatre Company will have to go the way of all childhood dreams. But with a bit of luck, and the help of some influential friends, perhaps this is not the end, but only the beginning of their adventures in show business...

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Author description

Pamela Brown (1924-1989) was a British writer, actor and television producer. She was just 14 when she started writing her first book, and the town of Fenchester in the book is inspired by her home town of Colchester. During the Second World War, she went to live in Wales, so The Swish of the Curtain was not published until 1941, when she was 16. She used the earnings from the books to train at RADA, and became an actor and a producer of children's television programmes.